US auto safety rules will stop testing for side impacts that no longer happen

US auto safety regulators are removing outdated requirements for how they test side impact protection in cars. This means car manufacturers will no longer have to design for crash scenarios that are not relevant to modern vehicles.

For decades, car manufacturers had to meet side impact standards based on older vehicle designs and crash types. This proposal removes those obsolete tests. It means manufacturers can focus on protecting occupants from the types of side impacts that actually occur on today's roads, potentially freeing up design resources.